IN SITU HIERARCHICAL STRAIN TRANSFER FROM THE ARTICULAR CARTILAG SURFACE TO THE CHONDROCYTE NUCLEUS

摘要

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disabling disease, commonly thought of as the "wear and tear" of articular cartilage, afflicting 27 million Americans [1]. Multiple (e.g. biomechanical and biochemical) factors [2] contribute to maintenance of healthy joints through chondrocyte and extracellular matrix interactions. Interestingly, volumetric contractions of nuclei exhibit a zonal dependence [3], suggesting that nuclear mechanics may play a key role in the maintenance of healthy tissue by mechanically-mediated pathways.